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Boise parks staff outline roughly $1.4 million Liberty Park upgrades, including permanent restroom and accessible playground
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Summary
Parks staff presented a scaled master-plan update for Liberty Park that would replace an aging playground, add ADA-accessible paths and a permanent year-round restroom and is budgeted at just under $1.5 million from impact fees and general funds; a potential grant could expand the scope.
The Boise Parks and Recreation Commission heard a presentation on a proposed update to the Liberty Park master plan that would fund a new accessible playground, permanent restroom, ADA-compliant pathways and other site improvements at the nine-acre neighborhood park, staff said.
Alicia Records, parks resources superintendent, said the park serves about 1,000 residents (roughly 433 households within a 10-minute walk) and the existing playground dates to before the 1990s and is showing wear. "The project budget is about 1 and a half million dollars just shy," Records said, adding the department is drawing on impact fees and general funds and is pursuing possible additional grant money that has not yet been awarded.
Project design manager Jason Miller reviewed constraints that make the 2013 master plan impractical to deliver in full. He said Ada County Highway District planned improvements on North Liberty will remove three large shade trees and change the street section, which prompted the department to prioritize safety, preserve existing ball-field configurations and coordinate utility hookups so a restroom can be tied into future improvements. "If we're able to get that (grant) ... it would allow us to expand the playground," Miller said, describing a two-stall restroom as the baseline if additional grant funding does not materialize.
Staff outlined the likely scope: replacement of the aging playground with unitary (accessible) surfacing, new accessible concrete pathways, ADA access from Denton and designated accessible parking, removal of the temporary portable restroom and installation of a permanent year-round restroom (a two-stall example was shown), preservation of the recently installed shelter, and modest upgrades to benches and trash receptacles. Records said the department budgeted the project in FY26 and is prepared to bid the work if funding and any grant decisions align, with construction targeted for late summer to early fall if timelines hold.
Commissioners asked whether a small warm-up or t-ball diamond would remain (staff: yes), and sought clarification about the restroom if the grant is not awarded. Miller said the department can "shoehorn" a scaled two-stall restroom into the current budget at the expense of some playground footprint if necessary, keeping the essential amenity in place. Commissioners praised coordination with ACHD and emphasized the need for careful siting and community engagement to limit impacts on nearby residents.
No formal action was taken on the master plan update during the meeting; staff will return with procurement steps and any grant outcomes. The commission provided direction to continue outreach and preserve access while advancing design work.
The department identified the project as funded in the FY26 budget and noted a grant decision may be announced within about a month; if the grant is not awarded the baseline scope would be a smaller, two-stall restroom and a reduced playground size.
